The Chris Hedges Report

Rob Larson, a professor of economics and author of Mastering the Universe, joins Chris Hedges to dissect the staggering wealth inequality in the U.S. He highlights that the top 1% owns 35% of the nation's wealth, while the bottom half holds a mere 1.5%. Larson also explores how the ultra-wealthy are emotionally and politically alienated from the rest of society, wielding disproportionate influence over policies. Their isolation and lifestyle privileges lead to a lack of empathy, exacerbating social divides and fueling resentment against the elite.

Patrick Lawrence, a seasoned journalist and writer, joins Chris Hedges to discuss the troubling state of contemporary journalism. He critiques the corporate takeover of the press, leading to a decline in integrity and a lack of context in reporting. Lawrence highlights how the media has shifted from independent observer to a mouthpiece for power, particularly since pivotal events like 9/11. He emphasizes the psychological toll on journalists and advocates for the importance of independent media in fostering deeper public understanding of complex issues.

Orlando Reade, a Professor of English at Northeastern University London and author of What in Me Is Dark, discusses John Milton's enduring influence in his exploration of 'Paradise Lost.' He shares how the poem's revolutionary themes resonated with historical figures like Malcolm X and Thomas Jefferson. Reade also examines Milton's complex portrayal of Satan as a reflection of his own struggles against tyranny, revealing how literature can enlighten our understanding of freedom, power, and rebellion throughout history.

Joan Scott, Professor Emerita at Princeton and an expert on historical narratives, joins Chris Hedges to explore the complex relationship between Israel and the U.S. They delve into how the Holocaust shapes Jewish identity and influences perceptions of Palestinians. Scott discusses the narratives developed around Israel, including comparisons to Native American dispossession. They also critique portrayals of Zionism in popular culture and the political ramifications of Christian Zionism, especially in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Eiren Caffall, an author known for her poignant works on loss and nature, joins Chris Hedges to tackle the harsh realities of the climate crisis. She discusses the emotional toll of ecological collapse and how it parallels her own struggles with polycystic kidney disease. They dive into societal denial about climate change and the importance of preserving personal and cultural narratives in the face of grief. Caffall emphasizes the interconnectedness of personal mortality and the planet’s fragility, underscoring the need for collective empathy and action.

Filmmaker Alex Gibney, known for his investigations into corruption, dives deep into the sinister world of dark money in politics. He discusses the aftermath of the Citizens United ruling, which has allowed anonymous donations to run rampant, diluting democratic integrity. Gibney reveals shocking case studies like the FirstEnergy scandal in Ohio, illustrating how corporations manipulate laws for personal gain. The conversation also examines the tangled relationship between wealth, political influence, and morality, showcasing the profound implications for democracy.

Richard Barnard, Sarah Wilkinson, Asa Winstanley and Richard Medhurst. These are some of the canaries in the coal mine for what is to come in the West as the region’s elite quickly becomes Israel’s international police. Medhurst joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to talk about his own experiences in the United Kingdom and Austria, where federal agents and police arrested him and searched his home under draconian counterterrorism laws. “I was just trying to tell the truth as best as I could with the facts that we had at that time and that's it. And I think they're trying to make an example out of me, definitely,” Medhurst tells Hedges. Medhurst points to Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in the UK as one of the broad laws being used to silence people like him. “If they really want to, they can charge you for just saying a simple fact just because the fact is uncomfortable to the government or perhaps they can twist it into saying you're glorifying a group but it's not true,” he explains. For Medhurst, the UK pinned Schedule 12(1A) on him, which he explains “has never been used before, and escalated it straight to an arrest.” They then took his “fingerprints, [his] DNA, [and] they put [him] in jail for 24 hours.” Despite his accurate reporting, Medhurst says that the validity of what one says does not matter when it conflicts with the establishment line. “You're not glorifying anyone. You're just stating a fact, but they can still charge you. That's what's so dangerous about this law,” he said. Austrian security service agents still possess most of Medhurst’s journalistic tools. There is still no clear time table as to when he will get his tools back. As Medhurst explained: “It wasn't just my phone and my laptop, which I also use for work, which are my work tools, but …you know, hard drive adapters, things that don't even have data on them, analog microphones. Why would you do that to someone unless you're trying to make a point that you don't want them to continue their work?”

If anyone can witness the genocide in Gaza with utmost clarity, it would be medical professionals working there. Their accounts continue to be as harrowing as those of journalists and Gazans themselves, stripped of rhetoric and left with only raw truth. Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a general, trauma and critical care surgeon in California, has been to Gaza twice and he joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report. “There is no serious health system in Gaza anymore,” Sidhwa tells Hedges. Instead, what’s left of hospitals are mere buildings filled with medical professionals stripped of the equipment vital to saving lives, refugees seeking anything more than tents and endless streams of people barely surviving the constant onslaught of bombs. Sidhwa explains the gut wrenching details of treating people mangled by bombs, children shot in the head and the inability to save people because of the lack of basic equipment. While describing the treatment of a six-year-old boy with severe shrapnel injuries, Sidhwa explains, “In the flagship hospital of any third world country, this kid could have survived. But at Nasser [Medical Complex], we don't have the right types of pressures, the right types of critical care medications and even just simple things like a pediatric ventilator, which just wasn't available. So he died 12 hours later.” The situation in Gaza, as Sidhwa details, is morbidly bleak: “I don't know how women who need C-sections will get them. I don't know how people who even just have regular role general surgery problems will be able to get them. I don't know how a kid that has asthma will be able to get albuterol. I don't know how somebody with heart disease will be able to get their medications. Just leaving aside the trauma. And then on top of that…the whole population is being starved. Literally no food has gone into Gaza for six weeks.”

Israel, both materially and rhetorically, has made their intent to destroy the Palestinian people clear. One of the most renowned and courageous Middle East scholars, Norman Finkelstein, has assiduously documented the Palestinian plight for decades and he joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report. Finkelstein and Hedges assess the current state of the genocide in Palestine as well as how the media and the universities have all but abandonded their principles in servitude to the Zionist agenda. Finkelstein makes clear the gravity of Israel’s unprecedented actions: “If you take any metric—number of UN workers killed, number of medics killed, number of journalists killed, proportion of civilians to combatants killed, proportion of children killed, proportion of women and children killed—if you take any metric, Israel for the 21st century is in a class all its own.” Israel’s use of propaganda and strategically timed attacks—often lining up with other major world events so as to avoid media scrutiny—has muddied political outlook of the genocide into one of war and defense rather than ethnic cleansing. The American media has done its part to feed these narratives as well. “What is going to prove that Hamas has been defeated?” Finkelstein asks. “I know what's going to prove it: when there's no one left in Gaza. That will be the proof.”

Richard Wolff, Professor Emeritus of Economics at UMass Amherst and a specialist in Marxist economics, joins Chris Hedges to dissect the decline of the U.S. empire. They explore Trump's economic policies, highlighting the erratic nature of tariffs and deregulation as signs of decay. Wolff discusses how historic economic suffering feeds into dismantling essential protections, while China and the BRICS bloc challenge U.S. dominance. The conversation touches on the socio-political fallout of these shifts, revealing a complex landscape of power and competition.